“One of my proudest moments”: Tarkowski named Everton captain, sets sights on battling the Premier League’s best

(Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images)

James Tarkowski has said it is an honour to be named Everton captain for the 2026/27 season and said the club must be 'right up there battling with the best'.

Tarkowski has been named as the new captain of Everton, replacing Seamus Coleman following the long-serving Irishman's exit this summer. The centre-back led the Toffees throughout much of Coleman's absence in recent seasons and now takes the armband on a permanent basis.

Ahead of Everton's opening fixture against Crystal Palace tomorrow, Tarkowski expressed his pride in his first official captain's notes.

"I have to start by expressing what an honour it is to lead this team," the defender said.

"To play for a massive club like Everton is special enough but to follow in the footsteps of some legendary names as captain means a huge amount to my family and me and it is truly one of the proudest moments of my career.

"I’ve had the fortune of being led at Everton by an outstanding captain in Seamus Coleman. So many people in football rightly acknowledge what an inspirational leader he is and, while I’m fully aware of the big task it is to follow on from him, I know it’s important to continue the high standards Seamus set day in and day out, and ensure everyone appreciates what it means to represent Everton.

"That includes new signings and, as well as welcoming back Merlin and Tyrique this summer, we were pleased for our squad to be strengthened by the arrivals of Hayden, Christian and Brennan.

"All of them have settled in well and we are looking forward to everyone throughout the squad having a part to play as we look to kick on this season.

"I feel we definitely made progress last term. It was an important first campaign here at our magnificent stadium, with new ownership and a lot of new faces, and I think the whole feeling around the Club changed over the season.

"It was a big disappointment to finish 2025/26 as we did and miss out on Europe – but there was so much good work for us to build on this time around.

"Like everyone connected with Everton, I want this club to be right up there battling with the best. It’s where we should be. We’ve been through some tough moments during my time here but there’s a totally different feeling around the place these days and we have every reason to be optimistic about the direction we are heading in."

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